OCTOBER 31, 2012 : WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 481

Reading 1 Eph 6:1-9

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise,
that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.

Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14

R. (13c) The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.'
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."

www.usccb.org

Meditation:  Do not risk being shut out

What does the image of a door say to us about the kingdom of God? Jesus' story about the door being shut to those who come too late suggests they had offended their host and deserved to be excluded. It was customary for teachers in Jesus' time to close the door on tardy students and not allow them back for a whole week in order to teach them a lesson in discipline and faithfulness. Jesus told this story in response to the question of who will make it to heaven. Many rabbis held that all Israel would be saved, except for a few blatant sinners who excluded themselves! After all, they were specially chosen by God when he established a covenant with them.
Jesus doesn't directly answer the question, however; but his response is nonetheless unsettling on two counts. First, Jesus surprised his listeners by saying that one's membership as a covenanted people does not automatically mean entry into the kingdom of God. Second, Jesus asserts that many from the gentile nations would enter God's kingdom. God's invitation is open to Jew and Gentile alike. But Jesus warns that we can be excluded if we do not strive to enter by the narrow door.  What did Jesus mean by this expression? The door which Jesus had in mind was himself. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved (John 10:9).  Jesus opens the way for us to enter into God's kingdom through the cross where he has laid down his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. If we want to enter and remain citizens of God's kingdom, then we must follow Jesus in the way of the cross. The word strive can also be translated agony. To enter the kingdom of God one must struggle against the forces of temptation to sin and whatever would hinder us from doing the will of God (even apathy, indifference, and compromise).
The good news is that we do not struggle alone. God is with us and his grace is sufficient! As we strive side by side  for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27) Jesus assures us of complete victory! Do you trust in God's grace and help, especially in times of testing and temptation?
"Lord Jesus, help me to always trust in your saving grace, especially when I am tempted and put to the test. Help me to be faithful to you and give me the courage and strength to resist temptation, especially the temptation to compromise or to be indifferent to your word."
www.dailyscripture.net

Up Against the Narrow Gate

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Father James Swanson, LC  Listen to podcast version here. Luke 13:22-30 Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ´Lord, open the door for us.´ He will say to you in reply, ´I do not know where you are from.´ And you will say, ´We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.´ Then he will say to you, ´I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!´ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you with a faith that never seeks to test you. I trust in you, hoping to learn to accept and follow your will, even when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. May my love for you and those around me be similar to the love you have shown to me. Petition: Lord, grant me the humility and sincerity to enter by the narrow gate. 1. A Scary Question: This is a scary question: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus doesn’t answer the question directly. Instead, he gives some advice. It almost looks like Jesus is avoiding the question, as if the answer is too discouraging. He tries to be encouraging instead, but at the same time underlines the difficulty of success. “Strive” he says, “to enter by the narrow gate.” Strive is the key word, since apparently, many are going to try to enter and fail, because the gate is so narrow. 2. A Disturbing Reply: The words that many will try to enter and fail are troubling. What percentage? How many? Nowadays, we like exact statistics. Jesus doesn’t say, but we get the impression that it will be more than a few. The possibility of failure is very real. Who will fail? Probably, people who don’t take him seriously; people who don’t try hard enough; people who love something more than they love Jesus. In other word, lots of people will fail… 3. My Christian Credentials May Not Be as Solid as I Think They Are: He goes on to say that many who think they are doing enough are going to be surprised to find they didn’t do enough. They think their Christian credentials are solid, but they will be found wanting. They will tell Jesus that they ate and drank with him, that they received communion every Sunday. They will witness to how many times they heard him preach in their streets, how much they contributed to the collection, but that will not be enough. Yet others who did not seem so good in life will be entering the Kingdom before them. Which group will I be in? Jesus is warning me that just because I feel I am doing enough for him doesn’t mean I am going to be in the group to be saved. I need to follow him with as much sincerity and honesty as I am capable of, doing his will and not my own. Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, your words are troubling to me. I see how often I fail in what I know I should be doing for you. I see that I cannot reliably guide myself in this matter. Send your Holy Spirit to help me open my eyes to see if I am falling short before it is too late. Help me to enter by the narrow gate. Resolution: Today I will examine my conscience very honestly to see if I am saying ‘no’ to Jesus in any aspect of my life and to see if I am letting myself get too comfortable in any aspect of my life, since comfort, especially in the spiritual life, is a sign that I am not “striving to enter by the narrow gate.”

www.regnumchristi.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
LUKE 13:22-30
(Ephesians 6:1-9; Psalm 145)
KEY VERSE: "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able" (v 24).
READING: As Jesus traveled on his journey toward his passion in Jerusalem, someone asked him, "Lord, are those who are to be saved few in number?" (Lk 13:23). The assumption was that the kingdom of God was for the Jews and that the Gentiles would be shut out. Jesus shocked his questioner by saying that entry to the kingdom was never automatic but was the result of great effort. He stressed the urgency of God's call. He said that the door to the kingdom was narrow and would not remain open indefinitely. Many would put off their conversion until it was too late. After the master had locked the door, they would beg to enter, but they would hear the Lord pronounce the dreadful words: "I do not know you!" Those faithless ones would be cast out, while the faithful would be welcomed from the four corners of the earth to share fellowship with the saints of old. Although the Gentiles were called last, they would take precedence over the ones who were called first but rejected the invitation.
REFLECTING: What do I need to do so that Jesus will welcome me into his reign?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to be converted to your will each day.

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HALLOWEEN--"All Hallows" 
The traditions of Halloween that we celebrate in this country were brought here by Irish and Scottish immigrants. The celebration and many of the practices of this night pre-date Christianity. The word "Halloween" comes from the words "All Hallow's Eve," literally, the evening before the "Feast of All Saints." For centuries, the night before November 1st marked the beginning of the pagan Celtic New Year. Hollowed-out turnips or gourds with candles inside were made into makeshift lanterns to help light the way of the spirits back to where they came from. The Celtic belief that spirits, both benign and malignant, were in intimate contact with human life became a regular feature of Celtic Christianity. God and Mary and the saints were always a hovering, helping presence in Celtic spirituality.

A woman was asked by her co-worker, "What is it like to be a Christian?" The co-worked replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in and washes all of the dirt off of you. Then God cuts off the top and scoops out all of the yucky stuff. God removes the seeds of things like doubt, hate and greed. God replaces them with seeds of love, faith, hope and trust. Then God carves you a new smiling face and God's light shines inside of you for all of the world to see.

www.daily-word-of-life.com

October 31 Wednesday

30TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Reflection

The three great surprises we might experience in heaven are: First, the people whom we judged most unfit for heaven are there! Second, the people whom we canonized saints here on earth are not there in heaven! Third, we who thought heaven is beyond our reach, find ourselves there! Jesus tells us in the Gospel that men from east and west, from north and south will come to take their places at the feast of the Kingdom. The door to heaven is open for all, hut it is narrow. The way to our salvation is not easy, one has to work out one’s salvation but it is supported by God’s gratuitous grace. It is God’s will that all should be saved. “God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (in 3:1 7). Our membership to Christianity is not a guarantee of our salvation. We have to put on the attitudes of Christ, like goodness, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, benevolence etc. Before we get into heaven, heaven has to get into us. What steps do I take today to become a ‘heavenly’ person before I get into heaven?

The Narrow Door

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, never harming, always charming! Is he so? Perhaps it is the picture occasionally painted in a child’s Sunday school lesson, but it is not the exact picture of the historic Christ. Jesus threw so many hard teachings at his disciples. It is little wonder they got miffed. He once said, “If you try to save your life, it will slip through your fingers, but give it away, and you will find it.” In today’s Gospel he says, “Strive to enter by. the narrow door” (Lk 13:24). What is a narrow door like? St Paul says to children: “Obey your parents” and “Honour your father and mother” (Eph 6:1). This requires on the part bf the children humility and acceptance of discipline. That is children’s narrow door. He says to parents: “Do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (v.4). This requires on the part of the parents unselfish love and patience. That is their narrow door. Through such teachings, the Lord invades into our comfort zones. He tears aside the curtain of our easy-going consciences, and thrQws open the locked doors of our superficial lifestyle. He challenges us to enter by the narrow door, and if we do that, we can enter into new pastures of peace, and happiness.

Meditation On Bible Readings: Eph 6:1-9; Lk 13:22-30

www.spreadjesus.org

The Lord is faithful in all his words.

Try your best to enter by the narrow door.’
Responding to a question about who will be saved, Jesus challenges and unsettles his listeners by insisting that their claim to be God’s specially chosen people is of little account if they themselves do not live out a choice for God. A covenant is a two-way process. Jesus tells them that those who reject his teaching will find their ‘reserved’ places at table in God’s kingdom occupied by the Gentiles they presume to despise.

Jesus exhorts us, as he exhorted his contemporaries, to strive to enter eternal life by the narrow door. ‘I am the door’, he said on another occasion. ‘Whoever enters by me, will be saved’ (John 10:9). We must be prepared to walk with Jesus the way of the cross—a path that leaves no room for compromise or complacency. 

www.churchresources.info

MINUTE MEDITATIONS

The Living Body        

Like the living body that it is, the Catholic Church will continue to grow and learn. But it will always be the same Catholic Church, always true to itself, and always faithful to the teachings of the apostles. Yours is this Church.

— from Yours is the Church

October 31
Blessed Thomas of Florence
(d. 1447)

The son of a butcher in Florence, Thomas led such a wild life for a time that parents warned their sons to stay away from him. A rich man in town befriended him and led him deeper into depravity. Accused of a serious crime that he had not committed, Thomas went to his friend for protection. The man would not even see him and told him to stay away. Crushed, Thomas wandered the streets until he met a priest who listened to his story and took Thomas into his home. Ultimately, he was able to get Thomas declared innocent of the crime.

Thomas broke off his former associations and began to lead a life of prayer and penance. Filled with grace, he asked to be admitted to a Franciscan friary as a lay brother. He went on to become a model friar, fasting, keeping vigils, disciplining himself. He wore the cast-off clothes of his brothers. He was frequently wrapped in ecstasy. Though he was never ordained a priest and remained content to serve as a lay brother, Thomas was appointed novice master. Many young men followed in his path of holiness.
Thomas founded numerous convents of friars in southern Italy. And Pope Martin V called upon him to preach against the Fraticelli, a branch of heretical Franciscans. He was also asked to go to the Orient to promote the reunion of the Eastern and Western Churches. There he was imprisoned and expected to receive the crown of martyrdom. But the pope ransomed him for a large sum of money. Thomas returned to Italy and died on a journey to Rome, where he had hoped to receive permission to return to the Orient.

Comment:

When Thomas needed a compassionate listening ear, he found one in a stranger. Had the priest not heard him out, he might never have achieved a place among the blessed. Who knows what God has in mind for the person who wants to bend our ear and find a compassionate listener?

October 31
St. Wolfgang of Regensburg
(c. 924-994)

Wolfgang was born in Swabia, Germany, and was educated at a school located at the abbey of Reichenau. There he encountered Henry, a young noble who went on to become Archbishop of Trier. Meanwhile, Wolfgang remained in close contact with the archbishop, teaching in his cathedral school and supporting his efforts to reform the clergy.

At the death of the archbishop, Wolfgang chose to become a Benedictine monk and moved to an abbey in Einsiedeln, now part of Switzerland. Ordained a priest, he was appointed director of the monastery school there. Later he was sent to Hungary as a missionary, though his zeal and good will yielded limited results.
Emperor Otto II appointed him Bishop of Regensburg (near Munich). He immediately initiated reform of the clergy and of religious life, preaching with vigor and effectiveness and always demonstrating special concern for the poor. He wore the habit of a monk and lived an austere life.
The draw to monastic life never left him, including the desire for a life of solitude. At one point he left his diocese so that he could devote himself to prayer, but his responsibilities as bishop called him back.
In 994 he became ill while on a journey; he died in Puppingen near Linz, Austria. His feast day is celebrated widely in much of central Europe. He was canonized in 1052.

Comment:

Wolfgang could be depicted as a man with rolled-up sleeves. He even tried retiring to solitary prayer, but taking his responsibilities seriously led him back into the service of his diocese. Doing what had to be done was his path to holiness—and ours.

www.americancatholic.org

St Aiphonsus Rodriguez

Confessor (1532-1617)

October 31

Born on 25 July 1532, St Aiphonsus was a wool merchant in southern Spain. Subsequent to the death of his wife and children, he began a remarkable life of prayer and severe bodily mortification. At 39, he became a lay brother with the Jesuits on the island of Majorca, where he filled the humble position of “porter” (door-keeper) at Mount Sion College and Seminary for 46 years.

Although lacking a formal education, he exercised a remarkable and widespread influence over the steady stream of people who came to the Fathers for advice and guidance. He was known for his profound infused knowledge and the soundness of his doctrine. Through his childlike confidence in Our Lady he greatly popularized the “Little Office of the Immaculate Conception” by distributing copies which he had himself hand written.

As porter, he would tell himself that every time the door-bell rang, it was Christ who was seeking admittance, and with a cheerful “I’m coming, Lord!” he would go to welcome the next caller. The Fathers appreciated his humility and sanctity and often asked him to give one of his unpretentious and affectionate sermons at meal-time. Once, when the Provincial Superior was making a visitation, he jestingly asked Brother Alphonsus to give a short sermon in Greek. Humbly and obediently the old man, who knew little Latin and no Greek, ascended the pulpit, and for a full minute, slowly and solemnly, repeated the great “Kyrie eleison! Christe eleison! Kyrie eleison!”

This was the Saint with whom St Peter Claver was wont to have a daily conference and who revealed to him marvellous work in South America. He died on 31 October 1617. Beatified on 12 June 1825 by Pope Leo XII, Alphonsus Rodriguez was canonized with Peter Claver on 15 January 1888 by Pope Leo XIII.

www.spreadjesus.org

LECTIO: LUKE 13,22-30

Lectio: 

 Wednesday, October 31, 2012  

Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

Almighty and ever-living God,
strengthen our faith, hope and love.
May we do with loving hearts
what you ask of us
and come to share the life you promise.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Luke 13,22-30

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, 'Sir, will there be only a few saved?' He said to them, 'Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.
'Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself standing outside knocking on the door, saying, "Lord, open to us," but he will answer, "I do not know where you come from."
Then you will start saying, "We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets," but he will reply, "I do not know where you come from; away from me, all evil doers!"
'Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrown out. And people from east and west, from north and south, will come and sit down at the feast in the kingdom of God. 'Look, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.'

3) Reflection

● The Gospel today narrates an episode that took place along the road that Jesus was going through from Galilee to Jerusalem, the description of which occupies one third part of Luke’s Gospel (Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28).
● Luke 13, 22: The journey toward Jerusalem. “Through towns and villages he went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem”. More than once Luke mentions that Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem. During ten chapters he describes the journey up to Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28), Luke constantly recalls that Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51.53.57; 10, 1.38; 11, 1; 13, 22.33; 14, 25; 17, 11; 18, 31; 18, 37; 19, 1.11.28). What is clear and definitive from the beginning is the destiny or end of the journey: Jerusalem, the capital city where Jesus suffers his Passion and dies (Lk 9, 31.51). But Luke rarely tells us about the places through which Jesus passed. This he says only at the beginning of the journey (Lk 9, 51), in the middle (Lk 17, 11) and at the end (Lk 18, 35; 19, 1), and thus we know something about the places through which Jesus was passing. In this way, Luke suggests the following teaching: the objective of our life should be clear, and we should assume it decidedly like Jesus did. We have to walk, we cannot stop. The places through which we have to pass are not always clear and definitive: what is sure, certain, is the objective: Jerusalem, where the “exodus” awaits us (Lk 9, 31), the Passion, Death and the Resurrection.
● Luke 13, 23: The question regarding the number of those who are saved. Along the road all kinds of things happen: information on the massacre and the disasters (Lk 13, 1-5), the parable (Lk 13, 6-9. 18-21), discussions (Lk 13, 10-13) and, in today’s Gospel, a question from the people: “Sir will there be only a few saved?” It is always the same question concerning salvation!
● Luke 13, 24-25: The narrow door. Jesus says that the door is narrow: “Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter but will not succeed”. Does Jesus, perhaps, says this to fill us with fear and to oblige us to observe the Law as the Pharisees taught? What does this narrow door signify? About which door is he speaking? In the Sermon on the Mountain Jesus suggests that the entrance into the Kingdom has eight doors. These are the eight categories of persons of the Beatitudes: (a) the poor in spirit, (b) the meek, (c) the afflicted, (d) the hungry and thirsty for justice, (e) the merciful, (f) the pure of heart, (g) the peace makers and (h) those persecuted for justice (Mt 5, 3-10). Luke reduces them to four categories: (a) the poor, (b) the hungry, (c) those who are sad and (d) those who are persecuted (Lc 6,20-22). Only those who belong to one of these categories mentioned in the Beatitudes will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the narrow door. It is the new look on the salvation which Jesus communicates to us. There is no other door! It is a question of the conversion which Jesus asks from us. And he insists: “Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door, because I tell you many will try to enter and will not succeed. Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself standing outside knocking on the door, saying ‘Lord, open to us’, but he will answer, ‘I do not know where you come from’”. In what concerns the hour of judgment, now is the favourable time for conversion, to change our opinion, our vision on salvation and to enter into one of the eight categories.
● Luke 13, 26-28: The tragic misunderstanding. God responds to the one who knocks at the door: “I do not know where you come from”. But they insist and argue: “We have eaten and we drank in your presence, you taught on our streets!” It is not sufficient to have eaten with Jesus, to have participated in the multiplication of the loaves and to have listened to his teachings on the streets of the cities and of the villages! It is not sufficient to be in Church and to have participated in the instruction of the catechism. God will answer: ”I do not know where you come from; away from me, all evil doers!” This is a tragic misunderstanding and a total lack of conversion, of understanding. Jesus considers unjust what others consider something to be just and pleasing to God. It is a totally new way of seeing our salvation. The door is truly narrow.
● Luke 13, 29-30: The key that explains the misunderstanding. “People from east and west, from north and south, will come and sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God. Look, there are those now last who will be the first, and those now first who will be last”. It is a question of the great change which takes place with the coming of God down to us in Jesus. All the people will have access and will pass through the narrow door.

4) Personal questions

● To have a clear objective and to travel toward Jerusalem: are the objectives of my life clear or do I allow myself to be transported by the wind of the moment by public opinion?
● The narrow door. What idea do I have of God, of life, of salvation?

5) Concluding prayer

All your creatures shall thank you, Yahweh,
and your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingship
and tell of your might. (Ps 145,10-11)

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